Elliott Sadler and Richard Childress appeared as if they were punched in the gut after NASCAR’s decisions in the Nationwide Series race Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Whether it was the right or wrong call to penalize Sadler on that late restart, should NASCAR have had to make a call in the first place? Why does NASCAR decide to put its credibility on the line when the situation could be black-and-white?

The staff of Sporting News and NASCAR Illustrated tackle that issue and others in this week’s roundtable.

Should the NASCAR restart rule be a judgment call as it is now or black-and-white with no review for the circumstances?

Kenny Bruce: It has to remain a judgment call because there are too many scenarios that could allow someone other than the race leader to get to the line first during a restart. NASCAR has to weigh each and then determine if an infraction occurred.

Kris Johnson: Make it black-and-white to reduce the chance of human error. Furthermore, rewrite the restart rule to have it mirror the start of every race whereby the flagman determines when it's go time. If the leader fails to go for whatever reason then we have no argument about jumping the restart.

Jay Pfeifer: It's always going to remain a judgment call. But what they need to do is deal with the procedure. They should have thrown the yellow and forced another restart instead of penalizing Sadler and taking him out of contention.

Bob Pockrass: The current way is best. Better to put credibility on the line than an unfair black-and-white call. It would make things easier on NASCAR, but the teams work too hard for it not to be a judgment call. Just have to hope that NASCAR is consistent with its judgments.

Should NASCAR, as it is discussing, get rid of the top-35 rule and return to qualifying with a set of provisionals?

Kenny Bruce: Does it matter? The top-35 rule was instituted to protect top teams that compete every week, but it’s rare that one of those teams has to resort to owner points today to make the field. Instead, it’s the same handful of teams that are fighting for the final one or two spots in the lineup each week. Getting rid of the top-35 rule isn’t going to change that, especially if the new system awards provisionals.

Kris Johnson: Yes. The essence of the sport is speed and the fastest cars on a given day should earn the right to compete on Sunday. As it stands now, qualifying is meaningless. Having a handful of provisionals will safeguard those who've performed well during the season should they have a disastrous qualifying run. The top-35 rule made sense when it was rolled out in the middle of the last decade because so many teams were vying for spots in the field. It doesn't anymore.

Jon Gunn: Yes, get rid of it. On-track competition should trump marketing shenanigans when it comes to performance-related rules.

Bob Pockrass: No. Well, it’s no big deal if NASCAR does return to the traditional style of qualifying but it’s not necessary. Sponsorship is so fragile these days, anything NASCAR can do to help it should be heavily considered. Those in the top 35 earn their spot—by their finishes every week.

Every year Jimmie Johnson has won at Indy, he has won the title. Will the same happen in 2012?

Kenny Bruce: Since he won Cup titles twice without winning at Indy the same year, I’d say it’s not a given. However, his team certainly appears to be rounding into championship form once again.

Jon Gunn: As impressive as this stat is, the championship race wasn’t just decided at Indy. Johnson could win, but two or three other drivers are going to have a say in the matter.

Kris Johnson: Betting against Johnson and the No. 48 team this year? Do so at your own peril. It's not just the fact that he won at Indy nor that he shares the lead in series victories with three. It is the Johnson-Chad Knaus mastery of the Chase that shifts the balance in their favor when it comes to landing title No. 6 this year.

Jay Pfeifer: No. He's looking awfully strong—but has there been a time since '06 when he hasn't? I think he'll have some very tough competition. You have to think Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth or Brad Keselowski will give Knaus and Johnson all they can handle.